Tang Wee Teo Aik-Ling Tan Yann Shiou Ong   Editors Science Education in the 21st Century Re-searching Issues that Matter from Different Lenses Science Education in the 21st Century Tang Wee Teo Aik-Ling Tan (cid:129) (cid:129) Yann Shiou Ong Editors Science Education in the 21st Century Re-searching Issues that Matter from Different Lenses 123 Editors Tang WeeTeo Aik-Ling Tan National Institute ofEducation National Institute ofEducation NanyangTechnological University NanyangTechnological University Singapore, Singapore Singapore, Singapore Yann ShiouOng National Institute ofEducation NanyangTechnological University Singapore, Singapore ISBN978-981-15-5154-3 ISBN978-981-15-5155-0 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5155-0 ©SpringerNatureSingaporePteLtd.2020 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpart of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission orinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilar methodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped. 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The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore Introduction Theme of the Book Many problems in science teaching, learning and assessment are not new but they can be looked through new lenses to identify unique strategies and solutions, particularly as societies change with disruptions by technologies and the demands madebythefourthindustrialrevolution.Thisbookmarksthebeginningofthethird decade into the twenty-first century. Hence, it is time for scholars to reflect on the Discoursesofscienceeducationinthelast20yearsbeforeastheyplantheirjourney forward. As scholars in science education, we are often asked the question, “What kindofworkdoyoudoasanacademic?”Moreoftenthannot,wewillsumupour work with theword, “research”.According to theMerriam-Webster Dictionary (n. d.), “research” is defined as an “investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the lightofnewfacts,orpracticalapplicationofsuchneworrevisedtheoriesorlaws.” This simplified definition does not accurately reflect the continual and reiterative process of re-framing a study, refining research questions, collecting more data to strengthentheconclusions,revisinginterpretationsanddiscussionstogeneratenew insights.Thisconstantandcomplexprocessofreworkingprocessesandproductsof an inquiry study to look for better solutions to address issues and challenges in science education is more aptly termed as research. We have invited colleagues, who have presented their work at the International ScienceEducationConference(ISEC)2018,tosubmitarticlestothisbook.Invited contributions are aligned with the ISEC 2018 theme on “Re-searching Science Education: Same Issues from Different Lenses”. This theme aims to evoke intel- lectualdialogueonissuesinscienceeducationthroughalternativelenses.Theword “research” is purposefully hyphenated to underscore the importance of constantly re-looking and re-examining longstanding issues to gain new insights into familiar problems that confront diverse stakeholders in science education and policy. It is through such a process that practitioners develop praxis and the field of science education research continually be enlivened. v vi Introduction The book chapters are aligned to the theme of research in three key areas of science education research: (1) science curriculum and teaching; (2) science learners and learning; and (3) science teachers and teacher education. In the first section on “Re-searching Science Curriculum and Teaching”, the authors present familiar ideas such as the nature of science (NOS), scientific literacy, team-based learningandinformalsciencelearningfromdifferenttheoreticalandpracticelenses. Thedifferent waystounderstandandimplementscienceteachingandlearningisa response to changing societal demands both locally and globally. Science cur- riculum and teaching is complex as it needs to be agile and responsive to rapidly changing educational landscape (Chaps. 1 and 4), but at the same time, there is a need to preserve the fundamental principles of good science curriculum and teaching (Chaps. 2, 5 and 6). Readers could ponder about the agency that science curriculum developers have when designing a new curriculum—do science cur- riculum developers lead or merely respond to societal needs and demands? In this era of the fourth industrial revolution, will the science education community “be pushed” or “self-initiate” a radical remake of science curriculum and teaching? InSophia(SunKyung)Jeong,GretchenKing,DavidPauli,CarySellandDavid Steele’sConceptualizingMultiplicitiesofScientificLiteracyFromFiveTheoretical Perspectives (Chap. 1), they re-examined the issue of the mistrust and misunder- standing of science from the new lens of dialogic meta-theorizing as a method- ological inquiry. Seungran Yang, Wonyong Park and Jinwoong Song’s RepresentationsofNatureofScienceinNewKoreanScienceTextbooks:TheCase of ‘Scientific Inquiry and Experimentation (Chap. 2) discussed recent curricular initiativesinKoreainintroducingthenatureofscience(NOS).Theyexaminedhow newlypublishedtextbookspresentedNOStoofferinsightsonKorea’seffortinthe implementation of NOS using historical episodes. Lishan Yang, Emmanuel Tan and Preman Rajalingam’s Pedagogical and Content Expertise in Team-Based Learning: Re-aligningTwoTeachingPerspectivesinanUndergraduateMedicalSchool(Chap.3) offersperspectivesonhowtwodistinctdomainexperts—contentandprocess—worked togetherinaconstructivistflippedclassroomsettingathighereducationtooptimizethe learning experiences of undergraduate medical students. Kai Ming Kiang and Klaus Colanero’s A Classics Reading Approach to Nurture Epistemic Insight in a Multidisciplinary and Higher Education Context (Chap. 4) integrated classics reading as a tool for nurturing scientific literacy. Miguel Ison and Sharon Bramwell-Lalor’s Opportunistic Science Teaching and Learning “Outside” the Classroom (Chap. 5) underscored the importance of leveraging on out-of-classroom settings to provide engaging and enriching learning experiences for students. The second section on “Re-searching Science Learners and Learning” pays attention to the learners of science. The ideas presented range from understanding ofstudents’ideasofscientificconcepts(Chaps.6,7,10,12and13)toquestioning the opportunities presented to students to learn science (Chap. 11) and assessing students’ understanding (Chaps. 8 and 9). The seminal publication, How Students Learn: History, Mathematics and Science in Classroom (Donovan, & Bransford, 2005),detailedtwofundamentalimportantassumptionsaboutstudentsforteachers and researchers to consider—(1) students attend classes with preconceptions about Introduction vii how the world works and these preconceptions can serve as starting points for learning, and (2) development of competences in an area of inquiry requires deep foundational knowledge, ability to understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework, and having systems to enable retrieval of knowledge. Readersofideaspresentedinthissectioncouldnegotiatetheideaspresentedinthe various chapters using the familiar assumptions by Donovan and Bransford. YannShiouOng,RichardDuschlandJuliaPlummer’sScientificArgumentation as an Epistemic Practice: Secondary Students’ Critique of Science Research Posters(Chap.6)built upontheproductivedisciplinaryengagementframeworkto inform a critique task design that makes students’ thinking visible, which in turn enablesrobustfeedbackfromteacherandpeers.BernadetteEbeleOzoji’sEffectsof Concept Mapping Technique on Nigerian Junior Secondary School Students’ Cognitive Development and Achievement in Basic Science and Technology (Integrated Science) (Chap. 7) showed how activity-based instructional strategies, such as concept mapping technique, similarly improved male and female students’ performances on science reasoning tasks (of the Piagetian tradition) and science content knowledge test. The author concludes the use of concept mapping tech- nique might be one promising solution in the search for strategies to improve Nigerian students’ science performance. Readers are invited to consider how new theories of cognitive development could account for the findings. Nilavathi Balasundram and Mageswary Karpudewan’s Embedding Multiple Modes of Representations in Open-Ended Tests on Learning Transition Elements (Chap. 8) demonstrated the effectiveness of integrating application-based graphic organizers in teaching transition elements on students’ use of multiple modes of representa- tions (besides writing). Mijung Kim and Suzanna So Har Wong’s Trustworthiness ChallengeinChildren’sEnvironmentalProblemSolvingintheDigitalEra(Chap. 9) discussed a persistent and on-going challenge of critical thinking and problem solving in science classrooms with a different dimension, that is, critical literacy practice in digital space. Caroline Ho and Fei Victor Lim’s Assessing Conceptual UnderstandinginPrimaryScienceThroughStudents’MultimodalRepresentations inScience Notebooks (Chap. 10)proposed a frameworkfor assessing theextent to which students’ understanding, specific content vocabulary and relationships between concepts are made explicit through analysis of students’ multimodal rep- resentationsinwrittenartefacts.TangWeeTeo’sAnAnalysisofPowerPlayinthe Subculture of Lower Track Science Classrooms (Chap. 11) interrogated common understanding of cultures and emphasized the possibility of subcultures in the science classroom formed through power play. Kim Chwee Daniel Tan’s Facilitating the use of Research in Practice: Teaching Students to Plan Experiments (Chap. 12) offered an example of how the research and practice gap can be bridged. Chang Fui Seng and Mageswary Karpudewan’s Working Memory Capacity and Teaching and Learning of Stoichiometry (Chap. 13) showed the applications of cognitive neuroscience in science education. viii Introduction Inthelastsection,wepresentresearchintheareaofscienceteachersandteacher education. According to the McKinsey report (2007), the world’s best performing schoolsystemshiredtherightpeopletobecometeachersanddevelopedthemtobe effective instructors. As such, it is not surprising that many education systems pay attention to science teacher education and development since it is essential to the success of science education reforms and quality science teaching and learning. However, researching science teachers and teacher education is problematic. Lee (2016) argued that the construct of teacher knowledge is elusive and hence the tenets of teacher knowledge are difficult to pinpoint. He highlighted the range of theories that aimed at helping scholars make sense of teaching and learning. These theories range from “…pinpointing necessary certifications or personal psychological traits to a host of competencies or bodies of knowledge that enable onetoberecognisedasasuccessfulteacher.Teacher effectivenessasaboard field hasthereforeevolvedfromsearchingfrommoreatomistic,within-personattributes to examining excellence in professionalism from more holistic, person-in-context theories.” (Lee, 2016, p. 71). As readers peruse the seven chapters in this section, theyareinvitedtothinkaboutthemethodsthatthevariousresearchersemployedto better understand science teacher learning and education. SharonBramwell-Lalor,MarciaRainfordandMiguelIson’sPre-serviceScience Teachers’ Reflections on the Field Experience: Does Context Matter? (Chap. 14) reconceptualized school context as comprising institutional, physical, professional, social and personal components. Through this analytic lens, the authors gained insights on how various components of school context shaped pre-service science teachers’ conceptions of teaching during field experience. Yvonne Kulandaisamy and Mageswary Karpudewan’s Teachers’ View on Replacing Traditional Chemistry Experiments with Green Chemistry (GC) Experiments (Chap. 15) pre- sented teachers’ viewpoints on the possibilities of implementing green chemistry experiments. Marjee Chmiel and Rodrigo Tapia Seaman’s Preliminary Results on the Value of Investing in Training for Practicing Chilean Life Science Teachers (Chap.16)examinedhowaninternationalcollaborationbetweentheU.S.andChile providedprofessionaldevelopmentforpracticinglifescienceteachers.Thasaneeya Ratanaroutai Nopparatjamjomras and Suchai Nopparatjamjomras’ Teaching Integration of 5E Instructional Model and Flower Components (Chap. 17) illus- trated how the 5E model which originated in the U.S. was adapted for teaching a biology education course for higher degree education students from developing countries. The approach of integrating science content (i.e. flower components) to teach a pedagogical approach (i.e. the 5E model), while not new to the science educationcommunityatlarge,isarelativelynovelapproachforthelocaleducation community of the authors and their students. Chorng Shin Wee and Gah Hung Lee’s Crafting Literature-Based Task—Our Journey on Viva Voca and Thought Processes shared the personal journeys of the co-authors in curriculum innovation to develop students’ thought processes as science learners. Cassander Tan and Aik-Ling Tan’s Learning Trajectory of a Science Undergraduate Working as an Intern in a Research Laboratory: A Science Practice Lens (Chap. 19) carefully Introduction ix traced the learning growth of a science undergraduate working in a laboratory. Umesh Ramnarain’s The Role of Empowerment Evaluation in the Professional DevelopmentofScienceTeachersintheEnactmentofanInquiry-BasedPedagogy (Chap. 20) infused evaluation theory into this study about science teacher profes- sional development. In essence, this book offers new insights into old topics of science education research and injects new ideas from other domains of research into science edu- cation. We are reminded that the “old” is never dated and the “new” is never unfamiliar. Tang Wee Teo Aik-Ling Tan Yann Shiou Ong References Donovan, M. S., & Bransford, J. D. (2005). How students learn: History, mathematics, and scienceintheclassroom.Washington,DC:TheNationalAcademiesPress. Lee, Y. J. (2016). Teacher practical knowledge: An ethnomethodological critique. Curriculum Perspectives,36(1),71–75. McKinseyandCompany(2007).Howtheworld’sbest-performingschoolsystemscomeouton top.RetrievedonJune21,2019fromhttps://www.mckinsey.com/industries/social-sector/our- insights/how-the-worlds-best-performing-school-systems-come-out-on-top. Contents Part I Re-searching Science Curriculum and Teaching 1 Conceptualizing Multiplicities of Scientific Literacy from Five Theoretical Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Sophia (Sun Kyung) Jeong, Gretchen King, David Pauli, Cary Sell, and David Steele 2 Representations of Nature of Science in New Korean Science Textbooks: The Case of ‘Scientific Inquiry and Experimentation’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Seungran Yang, Wonyong Park, and Jinwoong Song 3 Pedagogical and Content Expertise in Team-Based Learning: Re-aligning Two Teaching Perspectives in an Undergraduate Medical School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Lishan Yang, Emmanuel Tan Chee Peng, and Preman Rajalingam 4 A Classics Reading Approach to Nurture Epistemic Insight in a Multidisciplinary and Higher Education Context. . . . . . . . . . . 51 Kai Ming Kiang and Klaus Colanero 5 Opportunistic Science Teaching and Learning ‘Outside’ the Classroom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Miguel Ison and Sharon Bramwell-Lalor Part II Re-searching Science Learners and Learning 6 Scientific Argumentation as an Epistemic Practice: Secondary Students’ Critique of Science Research Posters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Yann Shiou Ong, Richard A. Duschl, and Julia D. Plummer xi